How a Pro Forma Statement Can Help Your Small Business

As a business owner, you know the importance of financial planning and forecasting. 

Pro forma financial statements are powerful tools that can help you project future financial performance, assess potential investments, and evaluate the impact of business decisions.

Pro forma is a Latin term that means "as a matter of form" or "for the sake of form." 

In business and accounting, it describes financial statements that are based on assumptions or estimates rather than actual historical data. 

Maybe you’re considering taking out a small business loan or merging with a larger company. A pro forma statement projects the impact of those decisions, showing whether your company’s financial health is expected to improve, decline, or remain the same after the event takes place. 

Pro forma statements can omit certain information. For example, a company may exclude one-time expenses, such as restructuring costs or a legal settlement, in order to present a more accurate picture of ongoing operations.

Pro forma statements, budgets, and invoices are typically used for planning, forecasting, or decision-making purposes.

Pro forma financial statements forecast estimated future financial performance rather than relying solely on historical data. 

Typically, these statements include a pro forma income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement, all based on hypothetical scenarios and assumptions.

Pro forma statements are usually preliminary or illustrative. They’re meant to give you a glimpse into a company's potential performance rather than strict adherence to the accounting rulebook.

Companies engaging in mergers and acquisitions often prepare pro forma financial statements to offer a picture of their future finances. These statements play a crucial role in negotiations and valuation discussions.

Sharing a pro forma statement also helps you communicate your growth strategy to lenders and investors. 

Critics of pro forma financial statements argue that companies use this freedom to cherry-pick what to include or exclude, molding the numbers to fit a desired narrative.

A pro forma budget is a projected financial plan that outlines anticipated revenue, expenses, and cash flows for a specific period. 

Pro forma budgets can be useful for assessing the financial feasibility of new projects or projecting the impact of cost-cutting measures.

So, how is it different from a traditional budget?

A regular budget focuses on your current financial situation and sets spending limits based on historical data. It helps you manage day-to-day operations. A pro forma budget, on the other hand, takes things a step further by considering future events or changes.

Let’s say you're planning to launch a new product line. With a pro forma budget, you can estimate the revenue and expenses associated with your new venture. You might consider costs like research and development, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution. 

By projecting the financial outcomes of your product launch, you can assess its viability and make adjustments before it goes live. 

While pro forma statements serve a purpose, they can also be misleading. Excluding certain expenses or items can paint an overly optimistic — or even unrealistic — picture of a company's financial health. 

Businesses have the freedom to use their own discretion when calculating pro forma earnings. They can include or exclude certain items based on what they believe truly represents their company's performance or future prospects.

Just remember, like any financial information, it's important to read between the lines and dig into the assumptions behind impressive pro forma numbers. 

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires companies to provide clear explanations on pro forma statements and reconcile pro forma figures to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). 

Using pro forma projections to grossly misrepresent GAAP-based results and mislead investors is considered fraudulent and punishable by law under SEC regulations. 

Rachel Christian is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance and a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. She focuses on small businesses, retirement, investing and taxes.